Adventures in the 13th Age

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Ruined

Cold Open: Ruins

The ruins in the foreground are still smoldering as the horses crest the snowy hill and we rack mount to see Törk dismount and look around, shaken. “As we feared. Copperhold is no more.”
“Do you think the Fallen did this?” Nameless asks. “They had quite the camp near here.”Törk shakes his head. “They’re separatists and regicidal maniacs, but they want the support of the Kingdom. I don’t think so.” He crouches down and picks up some dirt from the ground, runs it between his fingers, then touches some to his lips before spitting it out.Nat looks confused. “What is it?”
“The ground here glows green as new sprouts. Thrumming with it. Pulsing. I just wish I knew what it was.”Purge points into the ruins. “There’s movement over there.” And that’s when the roar begins and the orcs rise from the ruins and run at you. Törk, you have sworn not to harm an Orc until it threatens you. What do you do?

Ext, Copperhold Ruins

Törk climbs atop a collapsed building and attempts to calm the oncoming orcs. He manages to confuse them, giving Nameless a turn to power up before the orcs’ commander screams that “the defilers must perish!” and begin the assault again.

all note that these orcs are wielding very improvised weapons: charred sticks; brickwork; torn up wood boards. The orcs themselves also glow a rather amazing green for Törk

Törk manages to channel the Jeweled Gauntlet again [Director’s note: rolled one of his now-two magic numbers on the d20]. Instead of taking ongoing poison damage, however, the green energy flows to the area around him and two more orcs climb out of the ground to attack him.

Nevertheless, the orcs are outmatched and eventually fall.

Ext, Copperhold Ruins

Purge investigates the corpse of one of the orcs. It has a sickly green goo around its mouth. “The plague is spreading.”

Törk nods, and points at the orc’s flank. ”No tribe mark on the thigh. They’re Unbound, beholden to none. Like a mad dog, foaming at the mouth, need to be put down."

Taithos Dra, in her new grey collar as a fresh recruit, reports that it has been two weeks since the scouting party went to Copperhold to investigate rumors of a gathering of the Fallen, but no report of the party has returned. A mechanical owl was sent just a day ago and it, too, has never returned.

Cut back to Törk as he waves his left hand in a wide circle. A ring on his finger flashes as he does so, “This way to the owl.”

He takes point, and the others follow.

As they move, we pull back and hear Törk in voice over. “The Fallen tried to make a few orcs of their own, I’d say. You can see there where a body came up.” And the audience sees a shadow emerge where Törk points in a reflection of the past. ”But they didn’t know what they were doing, and they didn’t have a Broodmother." The shadow flexes, silently screams at the sky, and begins raging. “What the Fallen didn’t know was the cause of this catastrophe.”

Ext, Fallen Tower

The group approaches the remains of a watch tower, now in rubble on the ground. If they’d looked they’d know that the tower fell away from the town, but no one bothered.

Purge notes a pile of bodies nearby, and moves close to them to give them the rites. Törk offers a flask, and Purge puts a drop on each body, then makes the sign of the double cross. Then he touches his lips, and as he makes the double-cross he coughs, and in his cough says a name: “Rakana Copperkenner”.

The spirits of the bodies shimmer up and out of them, and one floats forward. “We brought it to town. We didn’t know what it did.” She looks around. “It did this.”

“An egg. We are sorry…” The spirits fade, and Purge falls to one knee, not out of reverence but out of pain [Director’s Note: this was a cash-in of a 5-value icon die with the Lich King; the cost was a couple of recoveries]

Törk that would be necessary to hatch so many orcs. Only the Broodmothers know where the eggs come from.

Törk uses the ring to find the owl. He tries to rewire it, and he does so, but not before giving himself a nasty shock.

A shower of purple sparkles scintillates above the owl. They form a screen of sorts, and we see the rolling hills as the owl made its approach to Copperhold. It crests the last hill and sees the town, and begins to hone in on something in the town center… when suddenly there is a flash and the sparkles turn to a riot of static.

Ext, Copperhold Causeway

Suddenly a large worm slithers around the corner ahead of them and barrels toward them. As it slithers closer they see that the snow on the ground is freezing solid underneath it. Törk yells, “Remorhaz!” as everyone draws their weapon, only to see five fresh-faced orcs turn the corner, too, chasing the ice-worm.

Nat runs past the worm to lock down the orcs, and does so well at it that all of them stay to pummel her.

The remorhaz, caught between two groups, trills at the ones before it and stuns Törk, and Nameless.

Purge attempts to call forth the friendly spirit of Vessel from the cleric’s old sword which the commander now bears, but nothing happens.

Once they manage to un-stun themselves, the battle turns and the beasts fall.

Int, Temple of Klursh

A cloaked figure ducks into the empty temple, and as he stands erect we see that he is immense. He drops his cowl and we get our first glimpse of The Orc Lord.

Törk puts it all together. ”The Green is in the custody of The Elf Queen. The same queen who made the first orcs to fight the Wizard King, and who, it seems, is The Source of the orcs. She’s still making them."